Detecting and correcting user confusion by a voice response system

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems and computer program products for detecting and correcting user confusion by a voice response system are provided. Aspects include monitoring, by the voice response system, ambient audio for a voice command from a user, determining and playing a response to the voice command, and monitoring a reaction of the user to the response. Based on a determination that the user did not understand the response, aspects include providing additional reference information to the user. The additional reference information is configured to aid the user in understanding the response.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates generally to operating a voice response systemand, more specifically, to detecting and correcting user confusion by avoice response system.

Voice response systems are becoming very popular. Typically, voiceresponse systems monitor ambient audio for voice commands from users.The voice commands direct the voice response systems to execute specificactions and to provide auditory responses to the user. In manyscenarios, the user might want to receive a voice reply from the voiceresponse system. However, in some cases, the user may not understand thereply from the voice response system.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, a system for detecting and correcting userconfusion by a voice response system is provided. The system includes amemory having computer readable computer instructions, and a processorfor executing the computer readable instructions. The computer-readableinstructions include instructions for monitoring, by the voice responsesystem, ambient audio for a voice command from a user, determining andplaying a response to the voice command, and monitoring a reaction ofthe user to the response. Based on a determination that the user did notunderstand the response, the computer readable instructions includeinstructions for providing additional reference information to the user,wherein the additional reference information is configured to aid theuser in understanding the response.

According to another embodiment, a method for detecting and correctinguser confusion by a voice response system is provided. The methodincludes monitoring, by the voice response system, ambient audio for avoice command from a user, determining and playing a response to thevoice command, and monitoring a reaction of the user to the response.Based on a determination that the user did not understand the response,the method includes providing additional reference information to theuser, wherein the additional reference information is configured to aidthe user in understanding the response.

According to a further embodiment, a computer program product isprovided. The computer program product includes a computer readablestorage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. Thecomputer-readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se. Theprogram instructions are executable by a computer processor to cause thecomputer processor to perform a method. The method includes monitoring,by the voice response system, ambient audio for a voice command from auser, determining and playing a response to the voice command, andmonitoring a reaction of the user to the response. Based on adetermination that the user did not understand the response, the methodincludes providing additional reference information to the user, whereinthe additional reference information is configured to aid the user inunderstanding the response.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniquesof the invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention aredescribed in detail herein are considered a part of the claimedinvention. For a better understanding of the invention with theadvantages and the features, refer to the description and to thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages ofthe invention are apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing environment according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts abstraction model layers according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary computer system capable of implementing oneor more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a system for operating a voice response system to detectand correct user confusion according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 depicts a flow diagram of a method for detecting and correctinguser confusion by a voice response system according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of another method for detecting andcorrecting user confusion by a voice response system according to one ormore embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the invention are described herein with referenceto the related drawings. Alternative embodiments of the invention can bedevised without departing from the scope of this invention. Variousconnections and positional relationships (e.g., over, below, adjacent,etc.) are set forth between elements in the following description and inthe drawings. These connections and/or positional relationships, unlessspecified otherwise, can be direct or indirect, and the presentinvention is not intended to be limiting in this respect. Accordingly, acoupling of entities can refer to either a direct or an indirectcoupling, and a positional relationship between entities can be a director indirect positional relationship. Moreover, the various tasks andprocess steps described herein can be incorporated into a morecomprehensive procedure or process having additional steps orfunctionality not described in detail herein.

The following definitions and abbreviations are to be used for theinterpretation of the claims and the specification. As used herein, theterms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,”“having,” “contains” or “containing,” or any other variation thereof,are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, acomposition, a mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus thatcomprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only thoseelements but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such composition, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus.

Additionally, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as anexample, instance or illustration.” Any embodiment or design describedherein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments or designs. The terms “at least one”and “one or more” may be understood to include any integer numbergreater than or equal to one, i.e. one, two, three, four, etc. The terms“a plurality” may be understood to include any integer number greaterthan or equal to two, i.e. two, three, four, five, etc. The term“connection” may include both an indirect “connection” and a direct“connection.”

The terms “about,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and variationsthereof, are intended to include the degree of error associated withmeasurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipmentavailable at the time of filing the application. For example, “about”can include a range of ±8% or 5%, or 2% of a given value.

For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to making andusing aspects of the invention may or may not be described in detailherein. In particular, various aspects of computing systems and specificcomputer programs to implement the various technical features describedherein are well known. Accordingly, in the interest of brevity, manyconventional implementation details are only mentioned briefly herein orare omitted entirely without providing the well-known system and/orprocess details.

It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems; storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist, on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist, on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 includes one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 1 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 2, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 1) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62;servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks andnetworking components 66. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 67 and database software 68.

Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtualclients 75.

In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may include applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 84provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 85 provides pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtualclassroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94;transaction processing 95; and operating a voice response system 96.

Turning now to a more detailed description of aspects of the presentinvention, FIG. 3 illustrates a high-level block diagram showing anexample of a computer-based system 300 useful for implementing one ormore embodiments of the invention. Although one exemplary computersystem 300 is shown, computer system 300 includes a communication path326, which connects computer system 300 to additional systems and mayinclude one or more wide area networks (WANs) and/or local area networks(LANs) such as the internet, intranet(s), and/or wireless communicationnetwork(s). Computer system 300 and additional systems are incommunication via communication path 326, (e.g., to communicate databetween them).

Computer system 300 includes one or more processors, such as processor302. Processor 302 is connected to a communication infrastructure 304(e.g., a communications bus, cross-over bar, or network). Computersystem 300 can include a display interface 306 that forwards graphics,text, and other data from communication infrastructure 304 (or from aframe buffer not shown) for display on a display unit 308. Computersystem 300 also includes a main memory 310, preferably random accessmemory (RAM), and may also include a secondary memory 312. Secondarymemory 312 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 314 and/or aremovable storage drive 316, representing, for example, a floppy diskdrive, a magnetic tape drive, or an optical disk drive. Removablestorage drive 316 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit318 in a manner well known to those having ordinary skill in the art.Removable storage unit 318 represents, for example, a floppy disk, acompact disc, a magnetic tape, or an optical disk, etc. which is read byand written to by a removable storage drive 316. As will be appreciated,removable storage unit 318 includes a computer readable medium havingstored therein computer software and/or data.

In some alternative embodiments of the invention, secondary memory 312may include other similar means for allowing computer programs or otherinstructions to be loaded into the computer system. Such means mayinclude, for example, a removable storage unit 320 and an interface 322.Examples of such means may include a program package and packageinterface (such as that found in video game devices), a removable memorychip (such as an EPROM or PROM) and associated socket, and otherremovable storage units 320 and interfaces 322 which allow software anddata to be transferred from the removable storage unit 320 to computersystem 300.

Computer system 300 may also include a communications interface 324.Communications interface 324 allows software and data to be transferredbetween the computer system and external devices. Examples ofcommunications interface 324 may include a modem, a network interface(such as an Ethernet card), a communications port, or a PCM-CIA slot andcard, etc. Software and data transferred via communications interface324 are in the form of signals which may be, for example, electronic,electromagnetic, optical, or other signals capable of being received bycommunications interface 324. These signals are provided tocommunications interface 324 via communication path (i.e., channel) 326.Communication path 326 carries signals and may be implemented using wireor cable, fiber optics, a phone line, a cellular phone link, an RF link,and/or other communications channels.

In the present disclosure, the terms “computer program medium,”“computer usable medium,” and “computer readable medium” are used togenerally refer to media such as main memory 310 and secondary memory312, removable storage drive 316, and a hard disk installed in hard diskdrive 314. Computer programs (also called computer control logic) arestored in main memory 310, and/or secondary memory 312. Computerprograms may also be received via communications interface 324. Suchcomputer programs, when run, enable the computer system to perform thefeatures of the present disclosure as discussed herein. In particular,the computer programs, when run, enable processor 302 to perform thefeatures of the computer system. Accordingly, such computer programsrepresent controllers of the computer system.

In exemplary embodiments, a system for operating a voice response systemconfigured to detect and correct user confusion is provided. Inexemplary embodiments, a voice response system is configured to monitorambient audio for a voice command from a user. Based on the voicecommand, the voice response system determines and provides a response tothe user and monitors the reaction of the user to the response. Thereaction can be monitored using microphones and/or cameras incommunication with the voice response system. The voice response systemanalyzes the reaction of the user and determines whether the userunderstood the response provided. If the user did not understand theresponse provided, the voice response system provides additionalreference information to the user to aid the user in understanding theresponse.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a system 400 upon which operating a voiceresponse system for detecting and correcting user confusion may beimplemented will now be described in accordance with an embodiment. Thesystem 400 shown in FIG. 4 includes a server 410 in communication with avoice response system 420 via a communications network 415. Thecommunications network 415 may be one or more of, or a combination of,public (e.g., Internet), private (e.g., local area network, wide areanetwork, virtual private network), and may include wireless and wirelinetransmission systems (e.g., satellite, cellular network, terrestrialnetworks, etc.). The voice response system 420 is configured to receivevoice commands from one or more users 402 in the range of the voiceresponse system 420.

In exemplary embodiments, the voice response system 420 can be asmartphone, a tablet, a computer system such as the one shown in FIG. 3,a smart speaker, a television, or any other suitable electronic device.The voice response system 420 includes a microphone 421 and a speaker422. Optionally, the voice response system 420 can also include a localdatabase 423, a user interface 424, a user identification engine 425,and a camera 426. The microphone 421 is used to detect voice commandsfor the voice response system 420 and the speaker 422 is used to provideresponses to the voice commands. In exemplary embodiments, the localdatabase 423 is configured to store user profiles that include voicesamples and/or images of authorized users of the voice response system420. The user identification engine 425 can include a voice recognitionengine that is configured to compare received voice commands to storedvoice samples in the local database 423. Likewise, the useridentification engine 425 can include a facial recognition engine thatis configured to compare images, which are captured by the camera 426,of users to stored images in the local database 423. The user interface424 can be a graphical user interface such as a touchscreen, a keyboard,or the like that can be used to create a user profile. The user profilestores known information regarding the user including a user's languagepreference, data on words/expressions that the user had troubleunderstanding and data regarding user preferences for the type ofadditional reference information to be provided to the user.

In various embodiments, the user profiles including voice samples and/orimages of authorized users of the voice response system 420 can bestored in the local database 423 and/or the server database 412.Likewise, the identification of a user can be performed by the useridentification engine 425 of the voice response system 420 or by theuser identification engine 411 of the server 410. The server 410 can beimplemented as a computer system such as the one shown in FIG. 3 or as acloud-based system such as the one shown in FIGS. 1 & 2. In embodimentswhere the server 410 is configured to perform user identification and tostore audio files and images of the authorized users, the voice responsesystem 420 is configured to capture audio files and/or images of theusers and to transmit them to the server 410.

In exemplary embodiments, the voice response system 420 is incommunication with a smart device 430 via network 415. The smart device430 includes a camera 431 that is configured to capture images of theuser 402 and to transmit the images to the voice response system 420 sothat the voice response system 420 can identify the user 402. The smartdevice 430 may be a smartphone, a tablet, a computer system such as theone shown in FIG. 3, a smart speaker, a television, or any othersuitable electronic device. In exemplary embodiments, the smart device430 may be controllable by the voice response system 420.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a flow diagram of a method 500 for operating avoice response system for detecting and correcting user confusion inaccordance with an embodiment is shown. The method 500 begins at block502 by receiving a voice command from a user. Next, as shown at block504, the method includes providing a response to the voice command.Next, as shown at decision block 506, the method 500 includesdetermining if the user understood the response provided. Thedetermination of whether the user understood the response provided ismade by monitoring and analyzing the reaction of the user to theresponse provided. The reaction can include a physical reaction to theuser, such as a change in facial expression, or statement made by theuser. If it is determined that the user understood the responseprovided, the method 500 returns to block 502. Otherwise, the method 500includes identifying the user and obtaining a user profile for the user,as shown at block 508.

Next, the method 500 proceeds to block 510 and includes identifying aportion of the response that is responsible for the confusion of theuser. In one embodiment, the identification of the portion of theresponse that is responsible for the confusion of the user is based onthe analysis of the reaction of the user to the response. In anotherembodiment, the identification of the portion of the response that isresponsible for the confusion of the user is made by the voice responsesystem asking the user a follow-up question regarding the response.Next, as shown at block 512, the method 500 includes determiningadditional reference information based on the portion of the responseresponsible for the confusion and optionally based on the user profile.In one embodiment, the additional reference information includes aspelling of a word in the response that is identified as the portion ofthe response responsible for the confusion of the user. In anotherembodiment, the additional reference information includes a synonym of aword in the response that is identified as the portion of the responseresponsible for the confusion of the user. In a further embodiment, theadditional reference information includes a definition of a word in theresponse that is identified as the portion of the response responsiblefor the confusion of the user. In exemplary embodiments, the userprofile contains a user preference for being provided with a spelling, asynonym or a definition of a word that is determined to cause confusionby the user. The method 500 concludes by providing the additionalreference information to the user, as shown at block 514.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a flow diagram of a method 600 for operating avoice response system for detecting and correcting user confusion inaccordance with an embodiment is shown. As shown at block 602, themethod 600 includes monitoring, by the voice response system, ambientaudio for a voice command from a user. Next, as shown at block 604, themethod 600 includes determining and playing a response to the voicecommand. The method 600 also includes monitoring a reaction of the userto the response, as shown at block 606. In one embodiment, monitoringthe reaction of the user to the response includes capturing andanalyzing video of the user while the response is being provided. Inanother embodiment, monitoring the reaction of the user to the responsecan include capturing and analyzing the speech of the user after theresponse is provided. Next, as shown at decision block 608, the method600 includes determining whether the user understood the responseprovided by the voice response system. If the user understood theresponse provided, the method 600 returns to block 602. Based on adetermination that the user did not understand the response, the method600 proceeds to block 610 and includes providing additional referenceinformation to the user. The additional reference information isconfigured to aid the user in understanding the response. In exemplaryembodiments, the additional reference information can include one ormore of a spelling, a synonym, or a definition of a word that isdetermined to cause confusion by the user.

Continuing with reference to FIG. 6, the method 600 also includesmonitoring the reaction of the user to the additional referenceinformation provided, as shown at block 612. Next, as shown at decisionblock 614, the method 600 also includes determining if the userunderstood the additional reference information provided. Thedetermination of whether the user understood the additional referenceinformation provided is based on the reaction of the user to theadditional reference information. If the user understood the additionalreference information, the method 600 returns to block 602. Otherwise,the method 600 returns to block 610 and provides alternative additionalreference information to the user.

In exemplary embodiments, the reaction of the user to the responseand/or the additional reference information is monitored by one or morecameras in communication with the voice response system and/or by amicrophone of the voice response system. In one embodiment, the reactionof the user to the response and/or the additional reference informationis monitored by a microphone of the voice response system and thedetermination that the user did not understand the response is based ona statement made by the user after the response is played.

Technical benefits include an improved functionality of voice responsesystems that are able to detect and correct user confusion withresponses provided by voice response systems to received voice commands.By detecting and correcting user confusion, the usability of the voiceresponse system is improved. In addition, artificial intelligencesystems that are used to operate the voice response systems can beupdated based on commonly detected items that cause user confusion toimprove the overall functionality of the voice response systems.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for detecting and correcting userconfusion by a voice response system, comprising: monitoring, by thevoice response system, ambient audio for a voice command from a user;identifying the user; obtaining a user profile for the user; determiningand playing a response to the voice command; monitoring a reaction ofthe user to the response to determine whether the user understood theresponse; and based on a determination that the user did not understandthe response: identifying a portion of the response that is responsiblefor a confusion of the user; providing additional reference informationregarding the portion of the response to the user, wherein theadditional reference information is configured to aid the user inunderstanding the response and wherein the additional referenceinformation is determined based on the user profile which includes userpreferences for a type of additional reference information to beprovided to the user, wherein the identification of the portion of theresponse that is responsible for the confusion of the user is made bythe voice response system asking the user a follow-up question regardingthe response, wherein the user preference for the type of additionalreference information to be provided to the user indicates that the userprefers being provided with one of a spelling and a synonym of a wordthat is determined to cause confusion by the user.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the reaction of the user to the response is monitoredby one or more cameras in communication with the voice response system.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional reference informationincludes a spelling of a word in the response that is identified as asource of confusion by the user.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theadditional reference information includes a synonym of a word in theresponse that is identified as a source of confusion by the user.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the additional reference information includesa definition of a word in the response that is identified as a source ofconfusion by the user.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction ofthe user to the response is monitored by the voice response system andwherein the determination that the user did not understand the responseis based on a statement made by the user after the response is played.7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction includes a change in afacial expression by the user and the determination that the user didnot understand the response is based on an analysis of the physicalchange.
 8. A system for detecting and correcting user confusion by avoice response system, comprising: a memory having computer readableinstructions; and a processor for executing the computer readableinstructions, the computer readable instructions including instructionsfor: monitoring, by the voice response system, ambient audio for a voicecommand from a user; identifying the user; obtaining a user profile forthe user; determining and playing a response to the voice command;monitoring a reaction of the user to the response to determine whetherthe user understood the response; and based on a determination that theuser did not understand the response: identifying a portion of theresponse that is responsible for a confusion of the user; providingadditional reference information regarding the portion of the responseto the user, wherein the additional reference information is configuredto aid the user in understanding the response and wherein the additionalreference information is determined based on the user profile whichincludes user preferences for a type of additional reference informationto be provided to the user, wherein the identification of the portion ofthe response that is responsible for the confusion of the user is madeby the voice response system asking the user a follow-up questionregarding the response, wherein the user preference for the type ofadditional reference information to be provided to the user indicatesthat the user prefers being provided with one of a spelling, and asynonym of a word that is determined to cause confusion by the user. 9.The system of claim 8, wherein the reaction of the user to the responseis monitored by one or more cameras in communication with the voiceresponse system.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the additionalreference information includes a spelling of a word in the response thatis identified as a source of confusion by the user.
 11. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the additional reference information includes a synonymof a word in the response that is identified as a source of confusion bythe user.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the additional referenceinformation includes a definition of a word in the response that isidentified as a source of confusion by the user.
 13. The system of claim8, wherein the reaction of the user to the response is monitored by thevoice response system and wherein the determination that the user didnot understand the response is based on a statement made by the userafter the response is played.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein thereaction includes a change in a facial expression by the user and thedetermination that the user did not understand the response is based onan analysis of the physical change.
 15. A computer program productcomprising a computer readable storage medium having programinstructions embodied therewith the program instructions executable by acomputer processor to cause the computer processor to perform a method,comprising: monitoring, by a voice response system, ambient audio for avoice command from a user; identifying the user; obtaining a userprofile for the user; determining and playing a response to the voicecommand; monitoring a reaction of the user to the response to determinewhether the user understood the response; and based on a determinationthat the user did not understand the response: identifying a portion ofthe response that is responsible for a confusion of the user; providingadditional reference information regarding the portion of the responseto the user, wherein the additional reference information is configuredto aid the user in understanding the response and wherein the additionalreference information is determined based on the user profile whichincludes user preferences for a type of additional reference informationto be provided to the user, wherein the identification of the portion ofthe response that is responsible for the confusion of the user is madeby the voice response system asking the user a follow-up questionregarding the response, wherein the user preference for the type ofadditional reference information to be provided to the user indicatesthat the user prefers being provided with one of a spelling, and asynonym of a word that is determined to cause confusion by the user. 16.The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the reaction of theuser to the response is monitored by one or more cameras incommunication with the voice response system.
 17. The computer programproduct of claim 15, wherein the additional reference informationincludes a spelling of a word in the response that is identified as asource of confusion by the user.